How Deep Does A Discount Have To Be For Before You Call It A "Good Deal?"

A study of “Groupon addicts” asked them to specify how low a markdown had to be before they considered it a “good deal.” These were some pretty tough customers. How do their standards match up to yours?

In a recent survey, gadget shopping site Retrevo asked deal site users, “What would you consider to be a good deal on the following types of things?”

Here’s what they said –

Apparel & Shoes:
69% thought 50% was a “good deal”
24% said 70% off was a “good deal”

Home Goods:
63% thought 50% off was a “good deal”
20% said 70% off was a “good deal”

Restaurant & Spas:
61% thought 50% off was a “good deal”
17% said 70% off was a good deal

Electronics:
52% thought 50% off was a “good deal”
16% said 70% off was a good deal

50% is pretty high, let alone 70%. I wonder if now that we’re in this proliferation of deal-a-day-sites era and Groupon clones that we’ve entered a period where customers aren’t going to buy unless they think they’re getting a big markdown. While it’s smart to hold out for a sale, I think shoppers will need to dig deeper and make sure the initial prices weren’t inflated just to make the “deal” look better. You don’t want to shop just based on how big the big red number next to the percentage sign is.